ALGARVE, Portugal: Skydive Dubai Rally Team driver Rashid Al-Ketbi and German co-driver Karina Hepperle had settled into a solid rhythm and were well-placed to mount a late challenge for WRC 2 honours after eight demanding special stages of the 2014 Vodafone Rally of Portugal yesterday.
“The plan has worked so far and that was to start carefully feel our way back into the car and make no mistakes,” said Al Ketbi who maintained a position just outside the top 10 in WRC 2 after SS8 and beat close rivals Martin Kangur and Subhan Aksa.
Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen had begun yesterday’s two loops of three stages with an overall lead of 3.7 seconds over Estonian Ott Tanak, with WRC champion Sébastien Ogier in third overall. Khalid Al Qassimi started Saturday’s stages from 16th overall.
Polish star Robert Kubica had hit a tree and ripped a wheel off his car, Elfyn Evans rolled his Ford Fiesta heavily, Kris Meeke retired after an accident and Jari-Matti Latvala also crashed and continued. Ogier was a mere 0.2 seconds quicker than Hirvonen through the eighth stage yesterday and the Finn retained a lead of 4.4 seconds from Tanak, with Ogier in third. Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi maintained 16th.
By the start of yesterday’s six special stages, Jari Ketomaa had snatched a 4.7 second lead off Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah in WRC 2. Fellow Qatari Abdulaziz Al Kuwari was seventh, Al Ketbi had settled into 14th position and Kuwait’s Salah bin Eidan was 19th. Ketomaa extended his advantage to 6.1 seconds through stage eight, as Al Attiyah maintained a comfortable second overall from Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand.
The Skydive Dubai Rally Team is running in the 2014 WRC under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, and is promoting Dubai’s hosting of EXPO 2020. THE PENINSULA
